YARN
My lion head is one of the largest projects in First Time Knits, but he doesn't take that long to make as he's knitted in super chunky yarn. The yarn I used is made by Rico and is a blend of acrylic and alpaca. This gives the lion a lovely texture. Also the colours are spot on! 

   

MY RECOMMENDED YARN

  • Rico - Creative Twist super chunky yarn. This yarn is made from acrylic (80%) and alpaca (20%). It has 75m (82 yds) per 100g. For this project you'll need: 1x 100g ball of main colour (the yellow), 2x 100g balls of contrast colour (the mane), 1x 100g ball of cream and a small amount of black for the nose. 

ALTERNATIVE YARNS 

  • Lion Brand - Wool-Ease Thick & Quick super chunky yarn. This yarn can achieve the same tension when worked on 9mm needles, and also has very similar qualities to the Rico. It's made of acrylic (80%) and wool (20%). Although it comes in larger 170g balls, you'll still need the same amount of balls as I recommend in the pattern. You may be able to get away with buying only one ball of the contrast colour, but I can't guarantee it. 
  • James C. Brett - Amazon super chunky yarn. This yarn can achieve the right tension but you may have to adjust your needle size to find it, so make sure you make a tension square. It's made of acrylic (80%) and wool (20%). The shades offered are more natural. You'd need the same amount of balls as I've asked for in the pattern in the Rico yarn. 
  • Lion Brand - Hometown USA super chunky yarn. This is a good acrylic alternative. This yarn can achieve the same tension when worked on 9mm needles and has some great liony shades available. It's 100% acrylic and comes in 113g balls, so you'll need to buy the same amount of balls stated in the pattern. 
 

KNITTING NEEDLES

10mm (US 15) knitting needles. 

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

2 x 24mm toy eyes and washers
200g toy stuffing
Sincerely Louise backing board - available here Available here.
Darning needle